


College, Parties, and Existential Angst

by shaniacbergara



Category: Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 - Malloy, Voyná i mir | War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-11-23 16:09:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,968
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shaniacbergara/pseuds/shaniacbergara
Summary: It's a brand new year at M.U., and boy oh boy are tensions running high! We've got Pierre, the day-drinking RA, his sex positive girlfriend, Helene, her side piece, and her side piece's side piece who also happens to be her brother. And what'll happen with all of these freshman? There's that one we all keep hearing about at the keggers. What's her name again? Natasha? They're all in way over their heads here, and it's a bit of a mess.





	1. Move In Day at M.U.

Pierre took a sip from his water bottle and grimaced. Honestly, he thought, Anatole thought gin was going to be a good choice for this? It was clear, Pierre figured, but even vodka would have gone down easier. He shook his head a bit before heading out of his room. Almost immediately, he was swarmed by anxious freshman, all over dressed for move in day. They ignored him for the most part, and thank goodness, but really, whoever has approved his application to be a resident advisor must have been out of their mind. The freshmen swirled around him, and he took another swig of his hidden gin. He figured there was no use avoiding them forever, and part of his move-in day duties was to go around to each of their rooms and introduce himself. 

The names, for the most part, flew in one of Pierre’s ears and out the other. He was glad they all had their names plastered to their doors, and on their IDs around their necks, otherwise he never would have remembered all of them. A few stuck out to him, though. There was Mary, who was a tiny mouse of a girl with huge blue eyes. He thought he spied an incense holder in the corner of her room, but somehow she didn’t seem like the stoner type, especially with all of those pictures of saints plastered up on her walls. He supposed he should have said something to her about it, but honestly what did he care if the girl burned incense? If she wasn’t puking on her carpeted floor she was okay in his book. Her roommate was a girl named Julie. Julie was plump and lovely, and offered Pierre the most dazzling smile when he introduced himself before going right back to typing on her computer. Then there was Nikolay, who somehow had more pimples than the rest of the floor put together, but bared a remarkable resemblance to an excitable puppy. His roommate was Boris, who sat in his desk chair, seemingly bored by the whole move in process, but he was sure to be polite to Pierre. All in all he managed to introduce himself to nearly everyone, and was only slightly bombarded by questions from his residents’ parents. After all, this was an Honor Student Dorm, he would have been surprised if all of the parents were easy to deal with. Sooner rather than later, he was able to retreat to his room. 

He was just settling in, and gratefully pouring sprite into his water bottle to ease the awful taste of the gin, when his cell phone buzzed. He flipped it open, his cell phone was ancient, but honestly it did everything he needed it to, he could text and call. He didn’t see much point of anything else, after all, he was never without his laptop when he was on campus, so he could always check the internet on that instead. The screen illuminated Pierre’s dim room. 3 text messages; one from Marya, one from Anatole, and one from Helene. He grimaced. He had better get the worst over with. 

Helene’s message read “hope the freshies are giving u hell…see u at ours later?” Pierre sighed. He had been dating Helene for nearly a year, but to be honest once the initial attraction wore off he found her irritating. Andrey had warned him about this. All through high school Andrey had dated Liza, and he ended up hating her by their senior year. Don’t get attached, you big softie, he had warned Pierre, but Pierre didn’t have any sense of self-preservation. He shot a quick affirmative text back to her before moving on.

Anatole’s was graphic to say the least, “i no freshmen are lame but damn have u seen sum of these girls? btw, the regs are cumin around 2nite, well get drunk as we can b4 syllabus week is over.” He ignored this text, he figured that Helene was probably with Anatole anyhow, and would pass along his acceptance. How on earth Anatole got into M.U. was a mystery to Pierre. Helene he could understand, she was smart, at least. Anatole could barely string two coherent sentences together. Rumor had it that Anatole and Helene’s brother was moving in today, too, and Pierre shuddered at the the thought. He wasn’t sure the school could take another Kuragin. 

And Marya, blessed Marya, had at least written encouraging words, “Some words of advice for move-in day, 1) stop day drinking, 2) remember that you’re in charge here, not these little snots, and 3) if you get freaked out just call me, all of my residents are finished already, and I’ll come and scare yours if I have to.” He quickly typed out his reply, making sure to impart how thankful he was to have a friend as threatening as she was. He had met Marya in a feminist literature class during his freshman year. He had enrolled not quite understanding what the class would be like, but he was always game for good literature, even if he was the only cis male in the classroom. He and Marya had hit it off right away, she was always getting him to try things he was unsure about, and she could always count on him for a quiet space and a friendly ear if she needed it. Her rants about feminism, combined with her ferocity on the field hockey field had earned her the nickname Marya “The Dragon” Dmitryevna, and she scared anyone who troubled her. Pierre wondered how she had gotten all of her residents to move their things in and get settled so quickly.

\- - - -

Marya’s day started at 6:30 am, when the first freshman arrived on campus. She began yelling at 7 am, when things just weren’t moving quickly enough for her taste. By 9:30, all of her residents were on the floor and were busy setting up their rooms, taking care not to be too loud lest Marya descend upon them in a fury. 

“What on earth are you dawdling for, Pavlovna? Get to it! You’ll all have time to flirt later but I’ll be damned if I’m stuck here waiting for you to finish getting moved in tonight! Get to it!” Anna nearly jumped out of her skin, but Marya knew she was smiling as she scurried back to her dorm room. 

Only two of her residents seemed utterly unfazed by her boorish attitude and brash demeanor. They were roommates, and apparently best friends. One was on the swim team, while the other played volleyball. All of Marya’s residents were athletes, and most of them were on scholarship, which meant they were usually mostly well behaved. Marya had marched into their room and presented herself.

“Natalya Rostova?” She called out, not even wasting the breath it would have taken to say hello. A thin girl with thick black hair and sparkling brown eyes turned from where she was gently hanging up pictures of herself and her friends on her wall. She smiled, and offered Marya her hand.

“Actually, it’s Natasha.” Her handshake was firm, and her eyes never left Marya’s. Marya grinned in approval.

“Steven Alexandrovna?” Her eyebrows immediately shot up. A mistake! She would kill her Residence Director, there was no way this was right, but when her eyes fell on the other girl, Natasha’s roommate, it was clear what had happened. Natasha started to speak, but stepped back when she saw her roommate gazing at Marya steadily, before offering her hand.

“It’s Sonya, I think I emailed you about it, but I’m terrible with technology so it might not have gone through.” Sonya had a soft voice and was somehow cohesively dressed in two different floral prints. Marya took her hand and shook it firmly.

“Of course, it won’t happen again, and if it does send whoever said it to me and I’ll show them what’s what.” She even managed to smile at her before bustling out of the door again. As she closed the door behind her, she ensured that the smiling sun cartoon that contained the girls’ names was accurate, and once she was satisfied she moved on to the next room. 

By the time she had gotten all of her residents squared away, Marya was exhausted. Her last resident had been acting like an absolute ass. He was a swimmer, too, and he had way too many questions. Not even her most threatening glare could shut him up. His name had been Ippolit Kuragin, which was almost too much for her to bear, and she made a mental note to scare Pierre into shutting the kid up. But for now she was sure Pierre had enough on his plate. She shot a quick text off to him before making herself a cup of coffee and settling in for a relaxing afternoon.


	2. Pet Us A Bit, Scold Us A Bit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Sonya go to dinner with Marya, because someone needs to take these two under her wing.

in room 412, Natasha had just finished hanging up her pictures, and collapsed onto her bed, thoroughly exhausted. Sonya sat up, and put a bookmark in her copy of The Hobbit. She turned toward her friend and smiled gently at her.

“Have you heard from Andrey?” She asked. Natasha glanced at her phone and sighed. 

“I texted him this morning, telling him I arrived. His plane isn’t set to land for another few hours, I think.” Natasha puffed her cheeks and exhaled forcefully. She’d met Andrey when she was a freshman in high school. Natasha had, by some miraculous chance, been elected home coming queen during her freshman year, and Andrey had been elected king. He had been a junior, and in a very unhappy relationship with another junior, someone named Liza. Andrey and Liza broke up during their senior year, and by the summer Natasha and Andrey were the new hot item in their tiny town. Of course, it hurt when Andrey left for M.U., but he always came home for his school breaks, and they made the most of their time together during holidays. During Natasha’s senior year of high school, she decided to apply to M.U. so that she and Andrey could be together, little did she know Andrey was busy applying to study abroad programs in Austria. She couldn’t be too mad at him, though, she knew how important it was to him. 

“I’m sure he’ll text you when he gets in, he’s so crazy about you.” Sonya replied, and she was right, of course. Anyone who knew Andrey knew that he was quiet and reserved, and the fact that he was even slightly talkative around Natasha made it clear how he felt about her. Natasha smiled at her friend. 

“Does this feel…” she trailed off, gesturing to their tiny dorm room.

“Ridiculous?” Sonya finished for her, and they collapsed into a fit of giggles together. Sonya and Natasha had met in kindergarten, and they had been positively inseparable ever since. There wasn’t a single thought that passed through Natasha’s head that she didn’t feel could be shared with Sonya. They knew everything about each other; it had been that way for as long as they could remember. 

They spent the rest of the afternoon in their dorm room together, preparing themselves for classes, and organizing their rooms. They kept the door open, Sonya had heard that was how you made friends with other people during the first few weeks of school, but nobody disturbed them for the time being. They didn’t notice how late it was until they heard a knock on their doorframe.

“Come in!” Called Sonya, and Marya entered the room, looking as intimidating as ever. She had changed out of her move-in day shirt, which had read “ASK ME ANYTHING” and was now looking far more comfortable in red shorts and a black v-neck t shirt. Her hair was still tied back in that severe bun, though. Natasha wondered how she would look with her hair down.

“What on earth are you dawdling for?” She demanded of them. Natasha and Sonya looked at each other, eyebrows raised. Marya clapped and their eyes flew back to her. “It’s time for dinner and if you two don’t get a move on all of the edible food will be gone.” She waved at the door. Natasha and Sonya grabbed their phones, IDs, and keys, and followed Marya’s frantic waves. “Come on, there’s always good food in the dining hall on the first night of orientation and I for one won’t let either of you miss it.” She ushered the girls down the stairs and out into the hot evening air. She paused, clearly waiting for Sonya and Natasha to lead the way. The girls looked at each other, then back at Marya. 

“I’m not sure I remember where the dining hall is,” Sonya finally confessed. Marya rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

“Alright, alright, come with me, I’ll take you where you need to go. Don’t expect me to walk you to your classes! Those you’ll need to find on your own! Come along, come along.” Marya led them down a hill and through the streets of the college town, and chatted with them a bit. The town was quiet for now, but it was sure to light up with parties in a few hours. Sonya and Natasha learned that Marya was a womens’ studies major. 

“And what about you two?” Marya demanded, leading them into a building they recognized belatedly as the student union. The dining halls were in the basement.

“I’m an early childhood education major.” Replied Sonya, carefully dodging a football being thrown in the lobby. Marya nodded approvingly, and looked at Natasha expectantly. Natasha, who had been checking her phone, looked up at the sudden silence, baffled. “She’s an English major.” Sonya added, rolling her eyes at Natasha good-naturedly. 

“I’m so sorry, that was so rude of me.” Natasha said, putting her phone away, but she was grinning from ear to ear. Sonya smiled as they swiped their IDs and moved through the buffet line for dinner. When Marya was satisfied that they both had enough on their plates, they followed her to a table in the corner. 

“So?” Marya said as they sat down. Marya was facing the dining room, while Sonya and Natasha were facing the window. 

“So?” Natasha echoed, smiling at her and tilting her head.

“So what was the delightful text you received?” She clarified, and Natasha’s smile spread across her face again. Sonya nudged her with her elbow, her red bangs flopping attractively with the sudden movement.

“My boyfriend, he’s doing a study abroad semester in Austria and he just landed.” She could barely contain her glee, whenever she brought up Andrey it felt like there were giggles that demanded to be released from her chest, but were caught just behind her lips. “He was just texting me to tell me how jealous he was that I was moving in today, he misses this place already.” She grinned at her mashed potatoes.

“Oh! I know someone doing a semester abroad in Austria. A friend of mine, I suppose. Bolkonsky is his name. Does your boyfriend know him?” Natasha’s head snapped up and Sonya couldn’t contain her laughter. Natasha blushed.

“That’s him, actually. Andrey Bolkonsky, we’re from the same town.” Marya leaned across the table, her palm outstretched, Natasha slapped her five as Marya laughed.

“Nicely done! He was all the rage on campus last year after he played in the championships.” Natasha nodded; Andrey was the quarter back on the school team. “Everyone wanted a piece of him! He was never available, though, guess we know why, now.” Natasha beamed with pride.   
“What about you? Are you with anybody?” She said, moving her interrogatory eyes to Sonya. She shook her head.

“Sonya was far too good for anyone in our town.” Natasha said, defensively, grabbing her friend’s hand. 

“Oh, I have no doubt about that, dear.” Marya agreed, and Sonya blushed. They settled in to their meals but it wasn’t long before Marya’s clear voice was ringing across the dining hall. “Hey! HEY! Bezukhov! Get your ass over here before I come over there and take it for myself!” Sonya and Natasha turned around in their seats, craning their necks to see whom Marya was yelling at. The name sounded familiar to them, but they couldn’t seem to place it. A few moments later they sighed in realization when a broad chested man slouched over to them. His glasses had changed, but Natasha remembered him well. It was Pierre, of course, Andrey’s best friend. She had only met him once, back when they were both in high school. He didn’t tend to come home during his breaks. He grinned sheepishly at them, before sliding his tray next to Marya’s and sitting down in the empty chair. 

“If you know Andrey, I’m willing to bet you know this sad sack, too.” Marya said, whacking Pierre on his cardigan-ed arm. 

“Yes! Of course, I remember you.” Natasha said, smiling. Pierre’s beard twitched as his face broke into a grin. It was hard not to smile at Natasha.

“Hold on, Natasha? Right?” He reached across the table and rubbed her arm, which Natasha should have found wildly awkward, but she found she actually didn’t mind. Pierre’s eyes flicked over to Sonya. “And…wait don’t tell me, is it Vera?” 

“Vera’s her sister,” Sonya replied, relieved. “I’m Sonya, actually.”

“Of course, Sonya, that’s right.” He nodded and smacked himself on the forehead. 

“Alright that’s quite enough I should think.” Marya said. “I only called you over to see what you were up to tonight, it certainly wasn’t because I like you, or anything, let me make that clear.” Pierre threw his hands up.

“Of course not, I’d never think that.” He laughed, a loud booming laugh that made several anxious freshmen turn around. “Actually, I’m going over to Helene’s. It’s supposed to be just our group tonight, but they’re having another party in a few days, to kick off the start of the semester. I’m sure you’d all be welcome to…” But Marya was rolling her eyes. 

“She’s no good for you, dummy.” She said bluntly. “None of them are.”

“So you won’t come?” Pierre asked, chuckling.

“No of course we’re coming, but that always stands to be repeated.” She pointed her fork at Pierre while leaning across the table to the two girls.

“Don’t be like him, he’s an idiot who spends his days in Philosophy classes all about living a meaningful life and then spends his nights drinking and smoking with a bunch of wrecks.” Pierre rolled his eyes, as if he had heard this a million times.

“Hey, that’s a meaningful life.” He retorted. 

“Oh please, you’re not being enlightened by those weirdos. Nothing’s being lightened at all! Look at you, you’ve got a little alcohol gut.” Marya leaned over to poke Pierre’s stomach. Natasha didn’t say so, but she thought Pierre’s stomach didn’t look bad at all. It quite suited him.  
“You are so doomed to have this monster as your R.A.” Pierre said, shoveling the last few bites of meatloaf into his mouth and standing up. “I’ll see you around, then.” He said, waving at them over his shoulder. 

“Were we…just invited to a party?” Sonya asked, looking at Natasha, her eyes shining hopefully.

“Well of course, stick with me girls.” Marya said, grinning at them as she took an enthusiastic bite of a french fry. 

“You’ll take us where we need to go.” Sonya and Natasha said in unison, and Marya winked at them from across the table.


	3. A Calamity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pierre goes to the Kuragins, it's all very messy.  
> Also ok I'm sorry I have to ease in to the sex thing here so call it a creative choice to have this barebones description it's just practice.

Pierre left the dining hall with a looming sense of dread. He should probably just go back to his dorm, that’s what Andrey would have told him. He was always telling him to spend less time with “those damn Kuragins,” and he knew Marya would have agreed. But there would be jungle juice, and wine, and vodka, and he needed something better than the terrible gin. And besides, Andrey wasn’t there, there would be no disapproving stares to deal with. Still, Pierre walked slowly over to Anatole’s place. 

Anatole lived with his sister, Helene, and Anatole’s best friend, Fedya Dolokhov. They were all on the swim team together, and they all shared the same enthusiasm for a good party. Pierre had heard from other swimmers he had shared classes with over his years at M.U. that there was supposedly a dry season during the most intense part of the swimming season, where none of the team members were allowed to drink. That apparently didn’t stop Anatole, Helene, and Dolokhov, who threw raucous parties and got as drunk as possible as often as they could. It didn’t seem to interfere with their swimming, either. Dolokhov had still won their league championships in butterfly. 

Pierre turned the corner and stared up at their house. It was nicer than most of the houses on their block, probably due to the fact that Mr. and Mrs. Kuragin had heaps of money that they were all too willing to pass along to their children as long as none of them failed out of the university or were arrested. Pierre suspected that there had probably been a few close calls on the arresting issue, but Anatole had a knack for charming people to do what he wanted them to do. Pierre sighed, and climbed the few steps to the front door. He didn’t knock, he never did, he just pushed the door open and went inside.

Almost immediately, he was set upon by a massive Great Dane. The dog reared up and placed his front paws on Pierre’s shoulders. Pierre laughed as the dog licked his face. 

“Get down, Mishka.” He said, taking hold of the dog’s enormous paws and pushing him back to the floor. He closed the door behind him and knelt down, scratching Mishka behind his ears. If he was entirely honest, he preferred Mishka’s company to the other members of this particular household. Pierre scruffed up his already messy beard, trying to make sure that there was no dog saliva lingering within it. He was still petting Mishka when he heard a voice coming from upstairs.

“For heaven’s sake, Pierre, ignore that dog and get up here!” He looked up to see Anatole standing on the landing of the second floor. He smiled, gave Mishka one last pat on the head, and climbed the stairs. Anatole was grinning laughingly at him, and grasped him by the hand the moment he reached the landing. “It’s about time you got here,” he said, embracing him briefly, “poor Helene’s been so lonely.” Pierre laughed with Anatole.

“Ah, Anatole, I’m sure you and Dolokhov have kept her entertained enough in my absence.” He followed Pierre into Dolokhov’s room, where most of the excitement during any party went down. The room was slightly smoky, but he could clearly see Helene and Dolokhov reclining together on the bed. When they entered, Anatole immediately flopped down between them, laying his head on his sister’s lap. Pierre grinned reluctantly.

“Oh, Pierre!” Helene called, fluttering her eyelashes and laughing. Pierre leaned over and kissed her. She bit his lip as he pulled away, and she laughed again. “How I’ve missed you, it was so dull this summer without you around.” 

“Yes, I’m sure, but I’ll bet you found someone else to laugh at while you were away.” He said, rolling his eyes at her. Pierre sat on the other end of the bed, cross-legged. He grabbed a pillow and held it to his stomach, aware that it was only a matter of time before the three of them teased him about his pudgy middle. 

“Well you’re much too serious.” Dolokhov cut in. “Where’s the vodka? This man needs a drink!” Helene reached behind her, and grabbed a bottle. She passed it to Pierre with a wink before leaning back again, utterly relaxed. Pierre took a swig, then another, and yet another. He passed it to Dolokhov, who drank again before setting it down. 

Pierre’s cheeks felt warm, and he began to relax almost immediately. He always felt as though Helene, Anatole, and Dolokhov were sharing one massive joke between them, and that he was out of the loop. After a few drinks, however, Pierre always felt able to keep up with them a little more. Dolokhov switched on some music, some pop hit from the summer, and in unison the four of them began to sway a little, still relaxing on the bed.

From there, the rest of the evening was a little bit of a blur to Pierre. At some point, he had taken hold of a full bottle of wine, and hadn’t let go of it until it was absolutely empty. They had sparked up a joint around 9, and finally Pierre was feeling relaxed enough to take a hit or two when Anatole passed it to him. There had been dancing, and although Pierre was sure he had danced with Helene, he wasn’t sure who Helene had been dancing with when Pierre scooped up Mishka and waltzed with the dog around Dolokhov’s room. 

Pierre came back to himself in Helene’s room, the door shut tight. It had been quick, it had been rough, and Pierre was sure that he had given Helene an intense beard burn, both on her neck and on her thighs. Helene had shouted, calling out as Pierre’s head was buried between her legs, and as long as she wasn’t calling out anyone else’s name, Pierre didn’t mind what names she called him. After Helene had finished, Pierre was soon to follow. Quickly, safely, and roughly. That seemed to be their mantra. They lay still for a moment or two, not touching each other. Pierre had to get back to his dorm; he couldn’t be gone all night, he might return to find drunken students locked out of their dorms. He sighed, swinging his legs over the edge of Helene’s bed. 

He pulled on his t-shirt and swung his cardigan on. As he was putting on his shoes Helene put her hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve gotten fatter.” She said, and he turned around to see her lighting a cigarette. Pierre put his glasses back on. 

“I didn’t hear you complaining.” He replied, chuckling deeply.

“Don’t be a dick.” She shot back. “We’ll see you this week.” She said it as a certainty. Pierre would keep coming back, despite the hangover he’d suffer in the morning.

“Yes.” He didn’t kiss her goodbye, he simply left, patting Mishka as he went by. He noticed that Anatole’s door was open, but his room was vacant. Dolokhov’s door was shut tight. 

His dorm was quiet when he arrived. Honor students, he supposed. A few of them would be out tonight, and he would help them when they inevitably got locked out, but for now he had a few more hours to relax and recover before they came knocking at his door. He looked in the mirror, looking at his weary face, and grimacing when he saw the hickeys Helene had left up and down his neck. He’d have to cover those up before the morning, he supposed RAs were supposed to be more responsible than that.

A few dorms away, Natasha and Sonya were cooped up in Marya’s room. They were peacefully sharing a bottle of wine, “if you tell anybody I’ll change the locks on your dorm room door!” Marya had said. Marya was teaching them to play poker, and Natasha could not bluff to save her life. They would crash on Marya’s floor that night, comfortable and safe on their first night away from home.


	4. Oh, My Enchantress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha goes to her first swim practice, and meets someone unexpected.

The next morning dawned brightly, and as the sun began to filter through the blinds on Marya’s window, Natasha and Sonya stirred, smelling freshly brewed coffee. Sonya yawned, trying to shake out the cobwebs. She had been dreaming, something about a cat? Or was she the cat? She couldn’t remember. Natasha had been drooling on the pillow beneath her head, and she wiped it away hastily as she sat up. 

“Good morning!” Marya called, passing Natasha a mug, then handing one to Sonya. “I had to swipe this coffee from the RA lounge on the ground floor, so count your lucky stars I like you because it’s much better than dining hall coffee.” Marya sat, cross legged, on the floor between the two girls. She was still in her pajamas, pants bedecked with crossed field hockey sticks and a tank top. 

“Thank you.” Sonya said, going red in the face and sipping her coffee gratefully. 

“What time is it?” Natasha asked through a yawn, her hair was sticking straight out in all different directions, though to both Sonya and Marya this looked more endearing than anything else.

“Almost 9.” Replied Marya, unlocking her phone and checking her messaged. “Only one drunk text from Pierre.” She remarked. Natasha and Sonya did the same. Sonya had received a text from her mother, urging her to remember to take her medicine and not to party too hard during the first few weeks of school. Sonya rolled her eyes, her mother was always worrying about her. Natasha had a few text messages, mostly from Andrey. Her heart swelled.

“Oh, Andrey texted!” She giggled, and Sonya immediately put her head on her shoulder to read the texts with her. “It’s been crazy here…starting classes…blah blah blah…oh! So glad you’ve met Pierre, keep an eye on him, lol. But if you need help or directions or Chinese food recommendations I’d definitely go to him.” She smiled up at Marya, and Sonya pinched her cheek as she settled back onto her spot on the floor.

“Well, at least your boyfriend has some sense. Pierre does know his Chinese food.” Marya admitted, rolling her eyes.

After their coffee, the girls returned to their own dorm room. Natasha had a pre-season practice with her swim team, and she was eager to find her own way down to the pool. She was a little nervous, she had to admit, she still couldn’t believe she was good enough to make the team, and her first practice was giving her butterflies. Sonya was planning on exploring the campus a little. She’d find her classes and Natasha’s so that their first day would run a little smoother, since her first volleyball practice wasn’t until that evening, she still had plenty of time. Natasha packed her swim bag hastily and kissed Sonya on the cheek before flinging herself out of the door. She half-walked, half-jogged down to the main part of campus, her light blue converse smacking lightly against the pavement. She vaguely remembered where the pool was located from her first few visits to the school. Before long, she caught a whiff of chlorine, and followed her nose to the pool. A great big man was standing on the deck, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Natasha recognized him from her meetings back in her senior year, when she learned she was being scouted.

“Rostova!” He called, grinning at her under his thick moustache. 

“It’s nice to see you again, Coach Kutuzov.” She said. He put one large hand on her head and looked down at her. Michael Kutuzov had been on the Russian Olympic team before coming to America, and Natasha had been a fan of his for years. He was massive, with great long arms and thighs the size of tree trunks, but he was nice as could be. 

“Well, get going, you’re early, of course, freshmen always are. We’ll start in twenty.” He pointed over his shoulder toward the locker rooms, and Natasha nodded, her heart in her throat. She headed around the pool and down the stairs into the girls locker room, careful not to slip on the wet floor and embarrass herself. 

Since she was the first one to arrive, she had a free shot at the lockers. The swimmers on the team were allowed to keep a lock on one of the lockers and use it to store their bathing suits, goggles, and cap, and Natasha was eager to choose one that would be in the middle of the locker room gossip. She got to work, hanging up her swimsuits. Before too long, some other girls began to trickle down the stairs. Natasha smiled widely at all of them, and they exchanged names and majors. Natasha checked the time; she really ought to get changed. The other girls seemed to have similar ideas. Getting changed wasn’t a huge deal to Natasha, she had been in locker rooms since she could walk. She simply wriggled out of her t-shirt and shorts, and chose her favorite swimsuit. Before she could change completely, however, she heard a voice from over her shoulder.

“Well, hello there.” Natasha straightened up and whirled around. Another girl was standing directly behind her. She was taller than Natasha, with curly hair that hung loosely around her shoulders. She was positively gorgeous and looked like she could kick Natasha’s ass if it came down to it. She grinned, and Natasha was reminded of the time when their family cat had eaten her goldfish.   
“Oh, hello.” Natasha said, smiling back at her.

“That’s my locker, you know.” The girl nodded behind her, Natasha glanced at the locker, even though she knew full well what it looked like.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know!” She said, and immediately began to gather her things, intending to move them down a few lockers to give this girl some room, but a hand on her forearm stopped her. 

“Don’t be, good god. If I get to be locker neighbors with you I’ll gladly move.” She grinned again, and Natasha felt her face grow warm. She laughed.

“I’m Natasha,” she said, as she pulled her bathing suit on. She pulled it on over her underwear, then deftly pulled one of the leg holes of her underwear out so she could step her leg out, then pulled them off down the other leg. The girl watched, clearly amused, before starting to strip off her dress.

“I’m Helene.” She replied, and when Natasha looked up Helene was stark naked. Natasha had to admire her courage, it was risky to wear a dress without any underwear, she figured. But she certainly didn’t mind Helene’s nudity, just because Natasha was somewhat modest didn’t mean she expected other girls to behave the same way. Natasha was only briefly distracted before focusing on what Helene had said.

“Wait a second…I know you from somewhere.” Natasha said, tucking her goggles and cap into the strap of her suit. 

“I don’t think so,” Helene replied dubiously. “I’d remember you, dear.” The way she said “dear” was so different than how Marya had said it…Marya! 

“That’s right!” Natasha exclaimed. “Marya said your name last night! You’re Pierre’s…girlfriend?” She asked, glancing over at Helene again.

“Oh, you’ve met my darling Pierre?” Her voice was laced with sarcasm. Natasha nodded. Helene, grabbing her own supplies, wrapped an arm around Natasha. “Oh well, now, isn’t this going to be fun.” And with that, she led her back up the steps and into the warmth of the natatorium.


	5. Do come, do come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a young girl meets a young man. 
> 
> [[I'm so sorry I haven't updated in forever, yell at me over @hey-ho-balaga and i swear i'll update more often]]

Natasha basked in the humid air of the now full natatorium. There were young men everywhere, lifting weights, finishing up a rep of sit ups on the deck, or warming up in the pool. Natasha wasn't phased by their near-nakedness, she had been in swimming pools her entire life, and was used to everyone around her being in some stage of undress. Helene was still holding tight to her arm as they entered the room. Natasha heard a splash to her right as someone slid into the pool. Her arms ached, it had been a long summer, with only light meets with her summer league to keep her in shape, and that was mostly for fun. She was ready to get back in the pool for real. 

 

Before she could get too comfortable, though, Coach Kutuzov was approaching the pair of girls. He was grinning widely, which Natasha hoped would be a good sign. "Good, Tasha, I see you've met Helene. Keep close to her in practice and you'll be on your way to captain in no time." He nodded at Helene approvingly. "Now hurry up and start warm up, I want at least a 800 out of everyone before we start our first sets." He waved them away, shaking his head.

Helene nudged Natasha and rolled her eyes dramatically. "He thinks just because I made captain last year that suddenly I'm actually going to start doing warm up properly." Natasha giggled as Helene led her over to the edge of the pool. "Swim in my lane, that way we can talk between sets. It's been so long since there's been a girl in this lane, and I've been feeling so deprived." She winked at her as she slid into the pool. "Fuck! It's freezing, I swear they make it colder every year." 

Natasha followed her into the frigid pool. For a room kept so warm it seemed impossible that a pool could be so could, she shivered. Just then, Natasha was splashed from a wall of water rising up behind her, someone had just done what must have been a cannonball into the water. She whipped around.

"Very funny, Fedya." Helene remarked, the boredom clear in her tone. "You've only done that every day for the last two years." The man who had made this remarkable entrance shook his hair out of his eyes and grinned. His grin was charming, but there was something underneath the charm and bravado that piqued Natasha's interest, if only out of concern.

"Yeah, but this is the first time I've had a new audience for my performance." He replied cockily. His gaze shifted to Natasha, who shivered again. He offered her his hand, and when Natasha took it, he swooped his head down and kissed her palm. He vaguely gestured at her, indicating his mouth and his hand, and she repeated the gesture, giggling. "I'm Fedya Dolokhov, butterfly." It took Natasha a moment to remember that he wasn't calling her a butterfly. 

"Oh, uh, Natasha Rostova, distance freestyle." She responded in kind. 

"Stop flirting with the freshmen, Fedya." Helene said, shaking her head and laughing at her friend's antics. Fedya pushed off the bottom of the pool and tackled Helene, pushing her under, Natasha laughed, but abruptly stopped when she saw Helene's hand reach around to pinch Fedya on the bottom. They resurfaced together, breathless and flushed.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetness, we're all family here." She winked at Natasha, before maneuvering around to pinch Natasha's rear end as well. Natasha squealed so loudly that it echoed around the entire natatorium, bouncing off the walls and ceiling. The three of them collapsed into a fit of giggles. 

Natasha was so relieved that she had connected with the captain almost immediately, and found a group of friends she could be comfortable with, she was sure that the other freshmen starting out on the swim team this year weren't going to be quite so fortunate. Natasha's gratitude was interrupted by a gust of cold air from an open door.

"And speaking of family..." Fedya trailed off, looking towards the door of the men's locker room. The door slammed shut abruptly, and out swaggered the most beautiful man Natasha had ever seen. His hair was a startling shade of blonde, and was collected into a well ordered mess at the top of his head. His eyes shone, even across the crowded room, like the clear blue sky. His speedo was a shocking white, a risky color for a speedo, Natasha had to admit, but damn if it didn't suit him. He ruffled his hair, then fixed his gaze on lane three, and more specifically, directly on Natasha. He seemed to exhale sharply, before walking over to them.

Helene leaned over Fedya's arm to whisper into Natasha's ear. "That's my brother, Anatole. He's a fool, but he gets away with pretty much everything." Natasha nodded, unable to find any words. 

Anatole slid into the pool easily and fluidly, and approached the trio of swimmers. He kissed Fedya briefly, directly on the mouth, before messing up Fedya's hair. Fedya chuckled at his antics, and Anatole moved on to his sister. He pecked her on the cheek. "Sweet sister, won't you introduce me to your new friend?" He asked, his voice was light and airy, like a recently fluffed pillow, carrying the same unique tilt as birdsong. 

"Of course, dear brother. This is my dear Natasha Rostova. Wouldn't you know it, she's a friend of Pierre's, and a darling freshmen I've decided to adopt." Natasha beamed proudly, before falling back into her entrancement. 

"Charming." Anatole said, gazing at Natasha with piercingly blue eyes. Fedya rolled his eyes at the three of them. 

"Well, I'm at least going to do a 50 before Kutuzov yells at us." He pulled his goggles down, and without further ado, pushed off from the wall and began to swim. Helene followed suit, and Anatole followed Helene, gazing at Natasha until the very last minute. 

Natasha stayed underwater for as long as she could during her first 50 as a college athlete. She couldn't get his eyes out of her head, and she almost rammed directly into the far wall, just barely managing to flip turn in time to avoid a collision. Her mind raced, and her head was everywhere but in the pool. The sets continued, simple ones of short interval 100s, and more complicated lung capacity sets. Natasha tried to concentrate, but every time she surfaced to take a breath between sets, she could feel Anatole's eyes on her bare shoulders. Before warm down, after a particularly difficult 250, Natasha was panting hard, her chest heaving and her face red. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and she whipped around, alarmed. It was Anatole, of course it was. 

"This is nice, isn't it?" He asked, cocking his head to one side and grinning. Natasha tried to catch her breath, but it wasn't easy with him staring at her like that. 

"Of course. You mean the practice right? It's always nice to be back in the pool after a long summer." She cut herself off abruptly to keep herself from rambling too much, and Anatole looked like he was holding back a laugh. 

"Not just the practice, all of it. It's always nice to meet new people, don't you think?" His hand travelled from her shoulder to her neck. Natasha managed to bite back the noise that threatened to bubble up out of her. Her neck had always been sensitive. She took a deep breath before replying.

"Yes, yes of course." She smiled brilliantly at him, trying to regain some measure of control over the situation. He grinned at her, and seemed again to be holding back a laugh. Meanwhile Helene and Fedya were off, whispering in the opposite corner of the lane. They were no help at all. 

"Listen," Anatole interrupted, turning Natasha's head back to face him. "We're having a costume party this week, in honor of syllabus week, you know? Just a few cool people, and you can bring any of your friends you like, but would you please come? We'd love to have you." Natasha gulped. 

"I'm-I'm not sure. I think I'll be busy with my first week of classes." She tried to avoid directly answering the question, but Anatole saw right through her. 

"Oh, no, syllabus week is a no brainer, besides, nobody there will be as gorgeous as you. Come, Natasha, just as long as you don't bring some big hulking boyfriend along with you..." He trailed off, looking at Natasha expectantly.

"My boyfriend is in Austria, actually, studying abroad." Anatole looked disgruntled, but not entirely discouraged. 

"I'll get a yes out of you, my sister will pester you until you're forced to give in." Anatole winked jovially, before pushing off the wall again and beginning his warm down.


	6. An Exploration

Back at the dorms, Sonya was just about ready to set out to explore campus and find her classes. She put her long hair back into a single braid, filled up her water bottle using the very over the top water pitcher (complete with filter!) that Natasha's mother had set them up with, and opened her door. Marya, who was helping someone who had been locked out of their dorm, and was looking very angry indeed, gave her a wave as she passed. Sonya smiled, and trotted down the stairs, he plait swinging back and forth behind her. 

She double checked her schedule. Her first class was a gen ed requirement, Modern European History, and it was held in the Liberal Arts building. She jogged down the hill toward the main area of campus, and paused when she reached the quad. It was somewhere around here, she knew it, she just couldn't remember which direction. She turned around, glancing down at her phone. She had downloaded a map and set it as her screensaver, but it didn't seem to be helping all that much. She narrowed her eyes, trying to read the miniscule writing, and took a step forward-

WHAM

Sonya landed flat on her ass, thoroughly startled. She let out a little "oof" and looked up to discover the source of the collision. A very frazzled looking boy was running a hand through his hair. He looked down at her, groaned, and offered her his hand. Sonya took it, brushing some of the grass off of her shirt, and fought the urge to apologize. Natasha was always telling her that she apologized too much, and she didn't think this was technically her fault. Luckily, the boy was already rambling apologies.

"Oh for fuck's sake I'm so sorry, I thought I had finally figured out where I was going but I totally wasn't even looking, I didn't even see you. Are you alright, are you bleeding? I really need to open my eyes and look where I'm going, I'm a complete and total fuckmuffin anyway I'm sorry-" Sonya held up a hand, stifling a giggle. 

"It's alright! No harm done, I probably should have been looking where I was going, too." She smiled, and the boy stopped abruptly, his face turning an attractive shade of pink. He reached up, towards her face, then seemed to realize what he was doing and froze, mortified.

"You, uh, you have some grass in your bangs..." He trailed off, his hand still in the air between them. Sonya ruffled her bangs, and sure enough a substantial amount of grass fell to the ground.

"How did that even happen?" She mused, and the boy let out a loud laugh, running a hand through his hair again. They paused, the silence lengthening. Sonya rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, smiling lightly. The boy finally broke the silence.

"Hey, uh, do you know where the Liberal Arts building is? I'm trying to map out my classes, here, but I'm totally lost." Sonya laughed.

"Actually, I'm trying to get to that same building, I have Modern European History there on Monday, and I can't remember which direction it is." The boy's face broke into a wide smile.

"At 9 am?" Sonya nodded. "I have that class, too!" It was Sonya's turn to grin widely, now. 

"Well, then, we can certainly find it if we work together!" She extended her hand, "I'm Sonya, by the way." The boy took her hand hastily and shook it.

"I'm Nikolay." He said, "I'm glad I ran into you, Sonya."


End file.
